It sounds like Russell Shepard‘s time in Carolina will come to an end. The Panthers asked the wide receiver to take a pay cut and indications are he won’t take one, which likely will lead to his release, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. 
Shepard signed with the Panthers last offseason after spending the previous four years with the rival Buccaneers. The Panthers were reportedly one of six teams to pursue Shepard last year, but the Panthers won out with a three-year deal worth roughly $10.5MM. After just 17 catches for 202 yards and one touchdown, the Panthers are moving on. The Panthers will save $2.125MM against the cap with $1.4MM in dead money if they release Shepard.
The Panthers didn’t want to give up on Shepard entirely, but he simply wasn’t worth the money after the Panthers acquired veteran Torrey Smith and invested a first-round pick in D.J. Moore.
Last year, the Bills and Lions were among the clubs to express interest in Shepard. The Buccaneers also showed some level of interest in retaining him.
And Jarius Wright is still the forgotten man.